Hoyer’s opener tricks, Egg cannons exist, Gators gone wild

If you’ve been hanging around here long enough, you’ve probably heard us call those big, pre-spawn females “egg cannons” before. This pic from the IA DNR of an 11- to 12-lb bruiser they netted at Rathbun is all you need to know for the why. 💣 #BOOM

Now here’s a couple other grandmas caught the old-fashioned way…

Came across this 14.2-lb walleye of a lifetime posted on the @midwest.madness Instagram page. Dude said he caught it jigging a chartreuse bucktail jig tipped with a nightcrawler in a river channel on the Missouri River in MT. 🙌 Insane fish!

Guide Doug Wegner caught himself a 29-ish incher that still went 12.02 lbs on the scale while slinging a #6 Rapala Rippin’ Rap. “This is what gets me up every morning in the Spring no matter how little sleep I’m on!” 😳 No doubt!!!

The man, the myth, the probably-doesn’t-have-anymore-room-on-his-wall-for-trophies legend 🔨 John Hoyer was recently asked for his top presentations to catch walleyes on a late ice-out year like this. Here’s his take on how to get it done during this year’s fishing opener in MN:

> An 1/8 or 1/4-oz jig and very soft plastic. The Berkley PowerBait Curly Bones and Bonefish are specifically designed to excel at very slow speeds. This makes it a perfect bait to pitch out, raise your rod tip a few feet, hold it there, and watch your line for the bite or when you hit bottom. Repeat and set the hook periodically. Natural whites by day, bright stuff at sunrise and sunset.

 

> A shallow-running crankbait. A Berkley Hit Stick or any shallow running minnow-style bait , trolled at 1.2-1.5 mph after dark. This can be the best catch rate of the weekend…especially if dealing with calm conditions or super clear water.

 

> Slip-bobber/leech. I will never say bobber fishing is boring because of the simple fact that it never gets old watching that bobber go down. If I’ve learned one thing from forward-facing sonar, set your bobber at least 2’ off the bottom…3’ is probably better.

 

> 1/8-oz jig and minnow. Simple yet very effective. Use the wind to create some float in your minnow, cast quartering casts to the waves, and let the jig swing back to center. Another tip – especially when using a shiner – is don’t worry about touching bottom.

 

> Push the envelope. Rattlebaits known to work on the great lakes excel at times throughout any given day in May. Other fast-moving presentations like a 3/8- or 1/2-oz jig and The Champ Swimmer can outfish everything if the fish are in a good mood.

> I generally don’t fish any deeper than 12’ on opener, which makes it some of the most fun bites of the year. Good Luck!

My jaw dropped yesterday when I came across this teaser video posted by a page called @TourLevelGold on Instagram. It’s legit motion picture quality schtuff and sounds like it’s going to be a behind-the-scenes look (from an angler’s perspective) on competing at the highest level of walleye fishing…from lowlights to limelight:

So pumped!

It sounds like the first episode “Beyond Fishing” is dropping today at 5pm cst. I’ll keep you posted. Or you can stay ahead of the curve by following their IG page here.

Don’t have to worry about these things going for our baits:

Yikes! From a capt Tyler Woolcott post Nov 2020:

> “Crazy dude ate a 13 Fishing Trash Panda [topwater frog] like a bass. A quick dehooking and a picture, and he’s back to his reptilian business.”

And I thought loons were bad!

Although maybe we do need to keep an eye out for ’em considering alligators can survive being frozen in the ice – and I’m not talking about March tip-up fishing on Lake of the Woods lol:

That ^ was from Shallotte River Swamp Park (NC) in 2019, and said:

> …the alligators are entering brumation, a process similar to hibernation where the animals’ metabolism slows down and they enter a lethargic state. Brumation kicks in when the water is too cold for them to remain active….

> During brumation, the gators will pop their nostrils up out of the water to catch a breath while the rest of their body stays in the water.

> …alligators that froze in place last year thawed out after a few days with no injuries….

Now you know.

And since I’ll never have a better segue into a random alligator post in the Target Walleye email than this…seems like the perfect time to share this story how a dude shot an alligator during “deer opener” in MINNESOTA – can’t make this stuff up:

> Cory Klocek: “…this morning I harvested a beautiful 10-point buck, this was my first-ever deer with a shotgun…. As I’m walking around a pond, tracking my deer, I look down to see a 3′ alligator 10′ in front of me. After contacting the game warden, I was informed I could shoot it.

> “No clue how it got there, or why. I’m guessing someone had it as a pet and released it when it got too big. I’m still at a loss of words lol. Legit speechless.

> “I will be able to keep the gator after speaking with state and federal fish and game wardens. No meat will go to waste, it will be eaten. The plan is to mount them together in a fun taxidermy piece.”

Only in 2020…. 🤷‍♂️

Btw he got his mount back last winter – pic shared in this Steve Sorensen post:

…for rocking a backwards snapback, just remember Al Lindner did it first lol:

Back when “selective harvest” meant selecting the biggest fish to harvest. 😅

1. WI: Petenwell Flowage MWC kicked off today.

Day 1 of 2 on the Wisconsin River. Was originally scheduled to be at Red Wing, but was moved due to the record flooding. The live leaderboard will be updated beginning at 3pm each day.

2. IA’s interior rivers went from walleye wasteland to popular fishery.

And it sounds like you can thank Vaughn Paragamian for that. His genetic analysis and research helped push IA from stocking itty-bitty walleye fry, to instead putting in larger fingerlings that “grow exceptionally fast in IA’s interior rivers, typically attaining lengths of 15” just 2.5 yrs after stocking.”

3. CAN: Walleye Wars is back!

Catch-photo-release style derby thru Angler’s Atlas where folks register their longest walleye caught for a shot at some serious dough and prizes.

They announced on their FB page that Ontario is July 21-30, and Alberta is Sept 1-10. The Manitoba and Saskatchewan dates will be posted soon.

Btw the longest walleye caught last year out of all 4 provinces/events was Ryley Desautels’ 83.8 cm (aka right at the 33” mark) which won him $2,775 cash + a new Garmin LiveScope unit + an Echomap 95SV. 🤑 If you’re gonna catch your new PB walleye, might as well do it when money is on the line!

And some people will still say he’s HoLdInG iT oUt ToO fAr even in that photo. 🤣🥴

4. MN: Up north walleye spawn just wrapping up by opener?

5. WI: Speaking of spawning walleyes….

I’ve never evaaaaa seen as many stacked-up in one spot as I did in this Apr 23, 2023 video from the Peshtigo River. 😳

6. MN: The New London fish hatchery is loaded up!

Looks like a bank vault with all that gold.

7. WI: Chase Parsons will be at the “Walleye Madness” event/sale…

…at Cabela’s in Green Bay on May 7 from 11-3p. If you’re already fished-out from the day before 👀 since it’s WI’s “fishing opener” this weekend.

8. NY: Oneida Lake WalleyeFest sold 1K tickets in 24 hrs.

Set their 1-day ticket sales record.

> 2022 was the last year The Lions Club held the derby which started in ’79. WalleyeFest Festival & Derby was born in early ’23 to carry on the tradition beloved by generations and thousands of anglers. Now in its 44th year the derby will be updated, expanded, and made into a 3-day music, food, and vendor festival to kick-off SPRING in CNY!

Ticket sales close at midnight tonight if you plan on fishing it this weekend. Think someone is gonna catch that tagged fish and win a new boat?!

9. CO: Zeebz found in Highline Lake.

10. WI: Fish consumption advisory for Green Bay + tributaries.

11. It is possible to do livewell/boat checks in virtual derbies (video).

12. MN: Brainerd Ice Fishing Extravaganza having t-shirt design contest.

Must be a student in the area:

> …looking for a new design for the shirts that are handed out to the first 150 people who catch a fish at the contest. Are you a student in the Brainerd Lakes Area who is interested in having your design seen by over 10,000 people? Send us your submission! The winner of this contest will have the design featured on the 2024 Extravaganza t-shirts, be recognized on social media, get a free contest ticket, and will receive a free t-shirt with the design on it!

Full scoop here.

13. NORSK Lithium joins forces with Traditions Media.

14. NW Angle: Flag Island resort has 2 new GMs.

Keith and Brittany Dahl.

15. Heads-up MN folks!

The MN DNR is doing a survey on a Proposed Bass Catch-and-Release Season to gather public input on year-round fishing opportunities for bass in MN:

> Bass fishing in MN has become increasingly popular. Anglers have questioned the need for closed bass seasons. In the interest of increasing bass opportunities, the DNR’s Bass Technical Team (Fisheries staff dedicated to bass research and management) has discussed a year-round angling season concept. The Team looked at available biological information from MN and in the scientific literature and is seeking public comment on updating the existing catch-and-release season.

We’ve been waiting a long time for this and it sounds like it’s gained a ton of momentum! There is some really good information at the beginning of this survey so folks can help make an informed decision.

16. MN: DNR receives land donation along St. Croix River.

> This transfer completes a two-phase donation from TPL totaling more than 700 acres.

17. OK: 110-lb Asian carp caught from Neosho River.

> An Oklahoma angler hoping to snag a giant paddlefish on Sat instead landed a bighead carp that weighed 20 lbs more than the existing world record.

Strap a saddle on this thing and see if you can stay on for 8 seconds!

> Brannick’s carp won’t qualify for a world record because it was snagged instead of baited. (Snagging is the common method for catching paddlefish.)

I find it absolutely astonishing that these thing can get that big by eating mostly zooplankton and algae?!

Long-lining jigs for early-season walleyes.

This is an older video from Jason Mitchell, but still a deadly jigging method for catching early season walleyes in shallow water…

> “Walleyes can often be located on the shallow sand flats early in the season. These shallow locations often have sporadic short growing weeds scattered along the bottom, so long lining small jigs or casting from the boat is the ticket to catching these fish as they spook from the boat.”

Sorry it’s not fishing related…but I saw this post on Sea Foam’s Insta and got a chuckle out of it, so thought you might too. 🤣🤣🤣

The clicks are definitely mandatory! Just like giving any power tool a little braaap braaap, or saying “that’s not going anywhere” after strapping something down lol.

Kim Runge busted out the waders and stuck this WI cheeseheadbelly from the bank. 👊

Hope you get to set the hook this weekend, too! Or at least get to play in the garage for a few hours getting ready to lol. Thx much for reading!

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH